10 Amazing Benefits of Drinking Water
It’s very common to hear about how important water is for our health, but what does water help with? Well, today I’ll go over why water is one of the essential things in the world, after all, we couldn’t survive without water!
How much water should we drink?
This is a common and tough question to answer. There are many opinions from health professionals on how much water we should be drinking. Our body is around 60% water, and we are continually losing large amounts of water through urine and sweat, so we have to be frequently replacing all the water we lose throughout the day.
However, to answer the question, it depends really on the individual, as many factors contribute to the amount of water you should be drinking.
Firstly, it depends on your age. Your age has a significant factor on the amount of water you should be drinking, if you are between the ages of 4-8, you should be drinking around 5 cups of water (40 ounces), and this goes for both genders. Then if you are 9-13, you should be drinking 56-64 ounces which are around 7-8 cups. Then from 14-18, you should be drinking 8-11 cups of water. If you are older than this, we recommend you drink 101 ounces of water, which is just under 13 cups. There are times where you can’t drink that much, and sometimes I barely drink any water throughout the day, but trying the drink as much water as possible will give huge benefits.
Some other factors influence the amount of water you should be drinking, such as where you live, the temperature, and if you are working out. If you are exercising you should be regularly to keep sipping on water to keep hydrated so you can keep at the best performance levels.
What happens if I don’t drink enough water?
Well, you will die. Ok, that’s the extreme of not drinking water, but there are some negative side effects to not drinking water.
Dehydration is the word for when you haven’t drunk enough water and you become “dehydrated.” There are long term and short term risks to not drinking water.
Short-term risks of not drinking water
There is a very long list of risks for not drinking any water. Some risks include,
- Constipation
- Hunger
- Dry Skin
- Mood Change
- Headaches
Long Term risks of not drinking water
These are just the starting symptoms and effects of being dehydrated; there are many long-term negative effects for being dehydrated for too long.
- Slow Metabolism (It will take much longer for you to process and digest your food)
- Increased Hunger
- You’ll feel constantly tired
- Irregular Temperature
Those are just the start, so if you’re not drinking enough, go and get a sweet drink of water to prevent these effects on your body, and so you can become the athlete you can!
How does water affect sports?
The effects of water on your body is often over-looked during sports. When you work out, you sweat to keep your bodies temperature in-check. However, this causes much water to come out your body which causes dehydration. Even in skateboarding, not having enough water is dangerous because it is effortless to lose focus when being dehydrated which can be very dangerous.
However, this applies to any sport. Not having enough water can cause a lack of concentration and a decrease in performance. So water has a significant effect on sports and can change the way you play sports such as skateboarding, soccer and all sports. (Even Swimming!)
10 Benefits of Drinking Water!
1. Prevents Headaches
Dehydration is a huge trigger of headaches for many people. Many people who get regular headaches should drink more water. So drinking water can help prevent headaches and help clear your head, and if you have a headache make sure you drink lots of water. Having headaches during sports can mess up your mental game enormously, so make sure you drink lot’s of water to prevent this.
2. Flushes Out Toxins
Your body cab build of lot’s of nasty toxins, but water can help prevent this. Our body has many tools to clear out these toxins, using organs such as the liver lungs and kidney to prevent our body from getting sick from these nasty toxins. However, sometimes our body can’t keep up and if this is happening, and your stomach is feeling a little ill, make sure you are drinking lot’s of water to float these nasty toxins out of your body. During sports, not having toxins can allow your body to move more freely.
3. Improves hair quality
Water is a huge factor that contributes to hair growth and hair health. Water is a key for hair growth, as it supports vitamins and nutrients that your hair needs to grow. However, the essential part of your hair is hair health, having poor hair health can cause loss of hair. Water makes up around 25% of a single strand of every hair so that drinking water will improve the strength of your hair. Even though hair doesn’t have a lot to do with sports, it’s still good to have excellent and robust hair for life!
4. Increases athletic performances
Water has a significant impact on overall athletic performances! Dehydration can have a substantial negative effect on your athletic performances, and it can cause reduced motivation, mental weakness, and fatigue. When working out, make sure you are continually drinking water to replace all the water you are losing through sweat. Proper hydration allows you to reach your peak performance, and achieve all your goals!
5. Helps beat tiredness
Tiredness is something I battle with daily, and I think it is something we battle with. However, water is proven to help give your body more energy and help beats tiredness. A loss of just 1 -2 percent of your body weight as water is enough to cause your body to slow down, which can make you feel sluggish and tired. Being tired can cause your athletic performances to decrease, especially if you’re skateboarding being tired can be dangerous!
6. Prevents dry skin
Preventing dry skin all starts from within your body. Having dry skin can be irritating and can put you off your game when playing sports such as tennis and basketball. Even though drinking water won't completely cure dry skin, it’s a significant first step to prevent and help dry skin.
7. Helps bad breath
Bad breath is a clear indication of dehydration. Dehydration along with bad food can cause nasty breath, and to be honest bad breath is one of the worst things you can have. Drinking water washes away leftover food and oral bacteria that all accumulate in your mouth and cause bad breath.
8. Better digestion
Water is proven to help your body to break down food which allows your body to absorb all the nutrients it needs. Water also helps clear your body, which helps prevent constipation and softens the food in your stomach. Proper digestion is a vital part of sports and having a good cycle of food coming into your body and leaving it is of the utmost importance to all sports.
9. Joint flexibility
Joint pain can be a very distressing experience, and you be restricted if you have severe joint flexibility. However, drinking water can improve your joint flexibility and help reduce joint pain. Joint flexibility is essential for all sports and is a vital part of getting to your peak performance.
10. Helps Prevent Hangovers
Hangovers, one of the worst experiences known to man. Having a bad hangover can put your entire day off, but there are a few ways to get over a hangover quicker and reduce the nasty effects of hangovers. One of the main ways to get over a bad hangover is making sure you are every hydrated because alcohol makes you very dehydrated.
Conclusion
I think you get the point, and drinking water will help your body enormously and not drinking water will conclude in substantial negative effects. If you want to reach your peak performance on whatever sport, making sure you’re staying hydrated is the number one priority. Good luck, and stay hydrated! If you're interested in skateboards or longboards click the links to learn more!
